The Central Regional Golden Eagles will challenge the Long Branch Green Wave at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Central Regional has four straight victories, Long Branch has 11 straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Central Regional had to skate by with only a three-point margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 20-point drubbing they dealt Toms River South on Friday. The Golden Eagles were the clear victors by a 27-7 margin over the Indians. Considering the Golden Eagles have won five games by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Central Regional's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jacob Halpin, who threw for 327 yards and one touchdown while completing 73.3% of his passes, and also punched in one score on the ground. The Golden Eagles' leading receiver CJ Yates was Halpin's top target yet again, picking up 155 receiving yards and one TD.
Central Regional didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Zyshun Carroll and Yates. Gustave Copes was another major factor on D, forcing one fumble and making 22 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Friday just wasn't the day for Long Branch's offense. They were outmatched by Matawan Regional and fell 42-0. While losing is never fun, the Green Wave can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey football rankings (they are ranked 247th, while the Huskies are ranked 121st).
Long Branch's loss dropped their record down to 0-7. As for Central Regional, their win bumped their record up to 6-1.
Central Regional was taken down by Long Branch 49-7 when the teams last played back in October of 2022. Can the Golden Eagles avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
